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The 2023 F1 Monaco GP has slowly but steadily started to gain some intrigue amongst the fans. One of the reasons behind it has been the strange nature of the F1 calendar, where the breaks have arguably been a tad too big.
We had a major gap between the race in Melbourne and Baku. Then the cancellation of Imola has meant that the fans are yearning for some action on the track.
With that being the case, if you want to catch the preview of the 2023 F1 Monaco GP (click here), or if you want to know which drivers and teams are desperate for a strong result, we have already covered that (for drivers click here and for the teams click here).
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This feature is more about the fun stuff and where we sit back and make bold predictions on how we expect the 2023 F1 Monaco GP to pan out. So without further ado, let's get straight to it.
#1. Charles Leclerc wins the 2023 F1 Monaco GP
Although yes, it's highly likely that we would end up seeing a Red Bull 1-2 on the podium just like we have in most of the races this season, we're being a bit adventurous in our pick.
We're predicting Charles Leclerc to win the race on Sunday. The driver has been a victim of some horrible strategic calls from Ferrari and to add to it, he's also made a few mistakes here and there. This season, however, Ferrari still has a decent chance of challenging Red Bull over a single lap.
If Leclerc is able to put together his characteristic fast lap in qualifying and secure pole position, he can pace himself. Can he win if he starts the race on pole position? Yes, he can and we're backing him to do just that this weekend.
#2. The Mercedes upgrade might not show its true pace in the 2023 F1 Monaco GP
Bringing a major upgrade package to a track like Monaco is a daring move that reeks of either confidence in the package or desperation in putting together better results. Either way, a track like the one in Monaco is not where one can get a true indication of where a car would find itself in the pecking order.
Even the three practice sessions are sometimes not enough for the drivers to get used to the track before truly unleashing performance with their respective cars. This weekend, expect the same with Mercedes. The car should look much different as is expected from the upgrades, but the ability to extract the maximum from it won't be happening this weekend. The German unit will have to wait until Barcelona to see what the real picture would be.
#3. Alpine will mix things up with the top 4 teams
Alpine has shown decent qualifying pace this season while it has more often than not fallen a bit short in the races. At the 2023 F1 Monaco GP, what should work for the team is its ability to put together competitive laptimes against the likes of Mercedes, Aston Martin, and even Ferrari on occasion.
With the track for the 2023 F1 Monaco GP making it nigh impossible to make an overtake, Alpine could find itself in a position where it could make the most of the strong grid slots in the race. Keep an eye on Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly during the weekend.
#4. Rain could jumble things up significantly
There is forecast of rain but there's hardly any assurance over what we could expect this weekend in terms of weather. What we do know, however, is that rain brings unpredictability and that tends to jumble things up in terms of strategy.
In all of this though, there's one thing that we should not forget, the track for the 2023 F1 Monaco GP is not where you can just prioritize being on the right tires and at the right time. A driver needs to be almost ruthless when it comes to pulling off overtakes here and tons of time could be gained or lost by strategy. At the end of the day, if the race does feature rain, we could be looking at a jumbled grid which could spice things up.
#5. Williams could struggle the most
Williams might not like how the 2023 F1 Monaco GP race weekend turns out. The car's strength revolves more around the ability to blitz everyone on the straights. Well, Monaco doesn't have straights (at least not substantially big ones), and one area where Williams could possibly gain time on almost everyone in the field will not be there.
Unless the rain helps the car to come alive in the wet conditions, we're looking at a bad one for Willaims this weekend.
